Mountains to Farm to Ocean
Our home in Lake Ohau with its gorgeous views was a “BookaBach” which meant we had to wake up early to clean the house from …
24 Feb
Birthday Vacation
Birthday Vacation
For Mike’s Birthday he wanted a “Vacation Day” to just relax, rest, read, catch up on emails, and enjoy the views. Until late afternoon we did …
23 Feb
Lochsloy Farm
Lochsloy Farm
Lochsloy Farm Lily was up early begging to go see the sheep. Lochsloy is a small 18 acre farm with a few dozen sheep and lambs. …
22 Feb
Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch Sunshine and a perfect beach day greeted us when we awoke. Mike made us quiche, pineapple and hash browns which we enjoyed overlooking the ocean …
21 Feb
Mother Nature
Mother Nature
Mother Nature Instead of staying in Kaikoura, we decided to stay in a little beach bungalow in Claverly. Claverly, devoid of any shops or stores, is …
20 Feb
Boats and Birthdays
Boats and Birthdays
Boats and Birthdays For Luke’s 7th birthday we took the Bluebridge Ferry from Wellington to Picton–from the North Island to the South Island. The crossing of …
19 Feb
Sabbath Drive
Sabbath Drive
Sunday Drive What a lovely branch we attended in Waioru! The spirit was powerful and the members were wonderful. I loved having Taylor play the piano again and …
18 Feb
Epic Day
Epic Day
Epic Day- Perhaps our little log cabin had cast a spell on us for everyone slept late and Mike spoiled us all with blueberry pancakes and …
17 Feb
Geothermal Fun
Geothermal Fun
Geothermal Fun- Mother Nature has certainly had fun in the area between Mt Maunganui and Lake Taupo! Our first adventure found us at Okere Falls- a stretch …
16 Feb
Mt Maungaunai
Mt Maungaunai
Mt Maungaunai- The kids favorite part of the holiday home in Hahei were the bookshelves overflowing with children and young adult literature. Late at night 1000s …
15 Feb
Karangahake Gorge
Karangahake Gorge
Karangahake Gorge- Promising Lily another visit to Hot Water Beach visit at the end of the day, we drove through the Coromandel Pennisula to the beautifully …
14 Feb
Farewell to Waiheke
Farewell to Waiheke
There was a misty rain in the air as we boarded the ferry back to the North Island. In Auckland we stopped to run a few …
13 Feb
Piha
Piha
Piha, known for its international surfing contest and its funky hippy-like atmosphere, is a small town filled with personality. Although the black sand beach and …
12 Feb
Sabbath Drive
Sabbath Drive
Sabbath Drive- Somehow Lily woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Occasionally she reminds us that she really is two. She wanted nothing but …
11 Feb
The Edge of the World
The Edge of the World
Day 7-The edge of the world – The Ninety Mile Beach is the longest stretch of beach in New Zealand and we loved staying right on …
10 Feb
90 Mile Beach
90 Mile Beach
It was easy to fall in love with Tapeka Point. Leaving on the other hand was painful. We couldn’t imagine a better location or better …
09 Feb
Vacation Day
Vacation Day
They have been praying for rain in the Bay of Islands as their water tanks are low and they haven’t received the rainfall they were …
07 Feb
Sailing
Sailing
Day 4- Sailing One of the pieces of advice we received before we left was the that the best way to see the Bay of Islands …
06 Feb
The “Lord of the Forest”, Sandboarding and Heaven on Earth
The “Lord of the Forest”, Sandboarding and Heaven on Earth
Day 3- The “Lord if the Forest”, Sandboarding and Heaven on Earth After our late night rendezvous with the kiwis it was hard to rouse the …
05 Feb
Secluded Beaches, Waterfalls & Kiwi Hunting
Secluded Beaches, Waterfalls & Kiwi Hunting
Day 2- Kiwi Hunting I woke up with a start early Monday morning. Had Lily really slept through the night?? I had been prepared to have her …